CM Siddaramaiah should have surrendered 14 sites before ordering a probe; instead, he is demanding Rs. 62 crore

Mysore/Mysuru: Former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Prathap Simha has stated that the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) irregularities have a history spanning nearly five years, including during the term of the BJP Government and expressed scepticism about the ongoing investigations reaching a logical conclusion.

Speaking to reporters in the city yesterday, Simha said, “Nothing will happen in the case of the MUDA scam. No action will be taken regardless of who is involved and it’s merely a media brouhaha. Unless Chief Minister Siddaramaiah surrenders the 14 sites allotted to his wife, a comprehensive probe bringing out the truth appears unlikely.”

“I am not accusing Siddaramaiah of corruption. He is a two-time CM. Personally, I feel that he is not a money-hungry person. Even if we assume that there is no fault on Siddaramaiah’s part, he should have surrendered the 14 sites as soon as the scam came to light and then ordered a probe. However, the CM has demanded Rs. 62 crore. This shows the sad state of affairs. My admiration for the CM has reduced.”

“I was hoping that Siddaramaiah would clean up the rot in MUDA. However, given Siddaramaiah’s conduct, I believe nothing will come out of the present inquiries into the MUDA scam. It looks like everyone involved in the scam will be safe. The CM does not seem interested in taking the issue to a logical end,” he added.

“The MUDA scam is huge. It is not just a scam of around Rs. 400 or Rs. 500 crore; it could be around Rs. 4,000 crore. It can be recalled that the then Mysuru District in-Charge Minister V. Somanna and the then MUDA Commissioner P.S. Kantharaju were removed from their positions when they initiated the process to auction 7,600 MUDA sites in 2019 to mobilise resources. Later, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the initiative and the auctions did not happen,” he said.